Gaming has become an increasingly important industry in the United States and around the world. In games of chance, a player typically places a wager on one or more games, and receives a payout or loses his wager based on the outcome of the game and/or the wager. Examples of devices for games of chance include, without limitation, video poker gaming machines, mechanical slot machines, and video slot machines. These gaming devices use random numbers to develop game outcomes that can be probabilistically predetermined.
Several games require a player to make a decision or select an available option that may influence the final outcome of the game. Such games include, without limitation, poker, blackjack, pai gow poker, and casino war. For example, in a typical draw poker game, play begins when the player is dealt an initial five-card hand. The player then chooses which of the five cards to discard (or which of the five cards to hold). The chosen discards are replaced with new cards, and the resulting hand is then categorized as a winning or losing outcome. In blackjack, a player begins with a two-card hand, and then make decisions such as whether to hit, stand, double down, surrender, etc. In pai gow poker, a player begins with a seven-card hand and must decide how to split his initial hand of seven cards into a five-card hand and a two-card hand. In casino war, a player must periodically decide whether to go to war, or whether to surrender an initial bet.
These strategy games (also known as skill-based games) can be played on and video poker type gaming devices. These video poker gaming devices differ from slot-type gaming devices, allowing players to make selections that affect the probability of a winning game outcome. Much of the popularity of these skill-based games can be attributed to a players ability to implement their own strategy in an effort to improve the probability of obtaining a winning game outcome.
The most successful strategies, however, often do not result in a winning game outcome. Applicants have recognized that many players would like a second chance to successfully complete a winning game outcome.